Derek S. Chapman

Applicant attraction to organizations and job choice : A meta-analytic review of the correlates of recruiting outcomes

Attracting high-performing applicants is a critical component of personnel selection and overall organizational success. In this study, the authors meta-analyzed 667 coefficients from 71 studies examining relationships between various predictors with job-organization attraction, job pursuit intentions, acceptance intentions, and job choice. The moderating effects of applicant gender, race, and applicant versus nonapplicant status were also examined. Results showed that applicant attraction outcomes were predicted by job-organization characteristics, recruiter behaviors, perceptions of the recruiting process, perceived fit, and hiring expectancies, but not recruiter demographics or perceived alternatives. Path analyses showed that applicant attitudes and intentions mediated the predictor-job choice relationships. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for recruiting theory, research, and practice.

Applicant reactions to face-to-face and technology-mediated interviews: A field investigation.

This field study examined applicant reactions (N = 802) toward face-to-face as compared with technology-mediated interviews (through videoconferencing or by telephone) for 346 organizations. Face-to-face interviews were perceived as more fair and led to higher job acceptance intentions than were videoconferencing and telephone interviews. Perceived interview outcomes were higher with face-to-face and telephone interviews over videoconferencing. Self-monitoring moderated the relationship between interview medium and perceptions of fairness. Specifically, this relationship was (a). positive for face-to-face, (b). negative for telephone, and (c). nonsignificant for videoconferencing interviews. Moreover, the number of offers an applicant received moderated the relationship between interview medium over, and perceived fairness. The relationship between number of offers and perceived fairness was positive for face-to-face and negative for technology-mediated interviews.

Toward an integrated model of applicant reactions and job choice

Previous research on applicant reactions to selection procedures has mainly emphasized the importance of procedural justice. However, much of this work has not examined other applicant reaction mechanisms (such as signals and expectancy) or additional variables known to influence job choice (e.g. pay, location and marketability). In contrast, this longitudinal field study took these other mechanisms and variables into account through the examination of the job choice processes of 588 applicants located in Canada to 215 organizations. Structural equation modelling was used to test an integrated model combining the three mechanisms of procedural justice, signals and expectancy, controlling for pay, location, and marketability. Support was found for signal and expectancy mechanisms influencing applicant intentions and job choice, and these effects were stronger for applicants with multiple opportunities and less pre-interview knowledge of the organization.

Perceived similarity and complementarity as predictors of subjective person-organization fit

We examined whether subjective person-organization (P-O) fit arises from perceptions of similarity, complementarity or some combination of both. Data were collected from 209 employees of various occupational and organizational backgrounds. Results indicated that individuals distinguish between fit that occurs through similarity and complementarity, and that both explain unique variance in subjective P-O fit. Subjective fit was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and reduced turnover intentions. Furthermore, the results suggest that subjective fit mediates the relationship between perceived similarity/complementarity and work attitudes.

Gamifying the employee recruitment process

Recently, a number of organizations have employed the use of gamification for the purpose of employee recruitment. Results of these gamified recruitment processes are reportedly positive, although no clear statistics have been provided to objectively gauge its effectiveness. We submit that gamification of the recruitment process may be conceptualized as a system of persuasive design. That is, gamification may be used to attract a wide range of potential job applicants, engaging them and directing their attention to pertinent organizational information. Once attracted gamification affects applicants through influencing their states of decisive attention. This paper will draw from foundational theories of psychology to illustrate the possible mechanisms of attitude change that gamification may engender. When applied to recruitment, attitude changes towards an organization may possibly lead to job pursuit behaviours, or greater awareness of an organization. This theory paper is one of the first on the psychology of gamification as applied to recruitment. The propositions in this paper will later be empirically tested.

Gamified Cognitive Assessments in Selection: Validity, Discrimination and Applicant Reactions

Gamification is a fast growing trend in business practices, heralded for its ability to innovatively attract and select employees through motivated behaviour. Despite companies’ zealous adoption of...